Alas, alas; I just received the sad news in a letter from Dr Bill's family. Thinking of him now brings a mixture of smiles and tears.
As jmh said, "We never had a cross word, he was always utterly charming and a tad flirtatious with me. Perhaps he was ever thus with the ladies?" I think so, Jo.

As much as our Dr Bill loved words, and jokes, and all the other stimuli of his intelligence, clearly the thing he held most dear was his family. I cannot tell you the number of time he lovingly recounted to me how he held his baby in his hand and washed the baby's bottom with running tap water. It was a precious memory to him.

I shall miss him.